Dennis Quaid Sues Drug Maker On Behalf Of His Children

Actor Dennis Quaid has filed a lawsuit against Baxter Healthcare Corp., a drug maker, alleging similar labels for the blood thinner Heparin and a less potent drug caused a mix-up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center threatening the lives of his newborn twins in 2007. The lawsuit seeking damages was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of his children. Both Heparin and the lower dose version, Hep-lock, are packaged in similar vials with blue backgrounds and very small print on both labels, according to the Complaint.

The Quaid twins, who were born in November 2007, were both administered multiple near-fatal doses of Heparin to treat staph infections, according to the lawsuit. The children, Zoe Grace and Thomas Boone, were given 10,000 units of Heparin, rather than the 10 units of Hep-Lock they were prescribed, according to the Complaint. Baxter Healthcare should have recalled the vials of Heparin containing 10,000 units because the company knew infants had died because of similar medication errors, according to the lawsuit. The company also was obligated to warn healthcare providers of the previous medication mistakes.

The children suffered internal injuries and shock, but the extent of what happened to them will probably not be known for years, according to the suit. Newborns and infants are often given Hep-Lock to prevent clotting because their intravenous lines are so small.